As Christine Gledhill proposes, "there are no rigid rules of inclusion and exclusion" for genres meaning often conventions of two or more genres can be combined to create what is known as a 'hybrid'. For example, 'rom-coms' are very popular hybrid genres which combine the typical conventions of both romance and comedy films to form its own unique blend. The list of hybrid genres is endless as practically any film genre conventions can be mashed together no matter how surprising and most already have within cinema. Below are a couple of surprising examples of hybrid films featuring unlikely mash-ups of genres:
Cowboys and Aliens
'Cowboys and Aliens' combines two completely unrelated genres in mixing the conventions of western and science-fiction - a mix which, in an other circumstance, would sound ridiculous but it definitely paid off for this film which went on to become a big success.
Paul
'Paul' is a blend of science-fiction and comedy conventions which, again, seems like a very unlikely combination mixture considering science-fiction is typically thought to be a powerful and dramatic genre with very little time to make jokes and yet Simon Pegg and Nick Frost prove with this huge hit that the two genres were just waiting to be mashed together.
I have been researching popular short films in order to discover their typical conventions to help with the producing of my own. I wanted to investigate what it was that made them work so well and, resultantly, why they were so popular.
I found that the best short films had a clear sense of narrative as a result of refined setting, props and costume in order to enhance mood and atmosphere. The most entertaining short films often had a twist in the narractive by which the audience were initially lead to believe one thing before the narrative turns this idea around and tricks the viewer, playing with their expectations.
I have selected three of my favourite short films that I came across whilst researching them, below:
How They Get There
I particularly liked this short film because of the way the narrative took a simple concept of everyday life of which we all familiar with though can never explain and provided a possible, albeit extravagant, explanation. I also liked the way in which the narrative was slightly ambiguous at the beginning which left the audience eager to discover what was going to happen next. The sudden shift in the tone of the film from the comical nature of the male and female mimicking one another to the complete opposite tragic nature of the car accident was very effective and made the climax seem even more dynamic and dramatic, enhancing the viewing experience. What was also interesting about this film was that it continued no dialogue and only a music score and yet the it was still equally as effective due to changes in the tone and tempo of the score to suit the action on screen, therefore, I have learnt that it is not always essential to include dialogue as short films can be just as effective without. This is something to bear in mind when planning my own short film.
Spin
I loved how dynamic and ambitious this film is. I also liked how the film incorporated several different tones meaning the mood was constantly shifting, keeping the audience on their toes with the tension. The initial coincept of the film is actually considerably dark with a sense of danger considering the lead character is playing with the rules of life and death, however the film still manages to contain subtle use of humour throughout in order to lighten the mood such as the ending in which the character has to run off before he sees another accident to meddle with which I feel works really well. The use of special effects in this film is spectacular and truly helps to bring the narrative to life and, whilst I myself will not have not have access to professional effects nor the ability to apply them, this film has provided me with inspiration to strive and and be as ambitious as I can be.
Partly Cloudy
This animated short was created by the popular film producer Pixar Studios and aimed at an audience of children. Similarly to the style of 'How They Get There', the film adopts the approach of examining an everyday aspect of life - new birth, often a confusing concept for young children - and provides an explanation for it. This film is particularly clever as it combines too concepts not normally connected and provides its own fictional connection to form the fantasy genre which appeals to small children. The biggest thing I learnt from watching this short film was the importance in appealing to a specific audience and ensuring that the film content is appropriate meaning if i chose to aim my short film at an audience of teenagers, I will need to make sure that both the narrative successfully appeals to that age category.
As part of introducing myself to short films, I have decided to conduct a list of factors which I believe help to produce a good short film. This should help me in my future studies and provide me with key factors to look out for when studying short films as well as when the time comes to produce my own.
Here is the finished product of our prelimary task where we were asked to produce a micro film of no longer than 30 seconds. The film has a simple narrative, conforming to the instructions we were given to include three simple lines of dialogue. We have also incorporated the required cinematography technique of a shot/reverse shot displaying a conversation between two speakers throughout the sequence in which our protagonist is pressurised into smoking. We have also paid particular attention to mise-en-scene and have used the appropriate costume of casual clothing according to the characters types of teenagers as well as the setting and location of a college.
Through carrying out this practice task I have gained a vital insight into the use of cinematography for effect such as the shot-reverse-shot which helps to add drama by showing different perspectives of the same shot and also helps to build relationships between characters by showing the way in which they interact. I have also learnt of the importance of mise-en-scene such as costume, props and setting to enhance the narrative and make the film more credible. I plan to carry this new-found knowledge forward and apply it to the making of my full short film.
